village life

santa comes to town

The Children of Bretforton (and quite a few adults) were excited when on Monday Evening they heard the sleigh bells and Santa appeared on his Sleigh with all his little helpers. He travelled round the village and we were even able to follow his progress on a tracker on line. What a fab way to get Christmas started (I hope Im still on his Nice list!!)

Photos courtesy of Mary Cook

important update on conservation area

wine club

The wine & Cheese Tasting Evening is showing some of current product range in our Community Shop.

Broadway wines our wine supplier has kindly offered to hold a wine tasting of 6 types of wines, that are available in the shop and some new ones too!

Fowler’s our Cheese suppliers too have offered to talk about their cheeses also available in the shop, which will give us more knowledge on cheese making and local suppliers.

Going forward we want to hold regular wine club meetings in the village, so it’s a fun, sociable and enjoyable event we hope people in the village would like to attend. We can look at Gins, real ales too , as Worcestershire and The Cotswolds have so many micro breweries / distilleries.

We already stock some of these in the shop, available for people in the village, customers and holidaymakers so come and try them.

This is our first event , which hopefully will be a success and we can have more in 2019, lots of people are now interested in wines , so it’s a good excuse together , have a taster of wine & Cheese and enjoy the company of fellow villagers !Contact JJ for more info on kevinjacinta@yahoo.co.uk or07763 883785

The letter here has been sent out to those house holds that fall within the proposed extension to the conservation area. Whilst that only affect a few homes the wider implications may affect us all. The extension of the Conservation area may well impact on the proposed development at the end of Station Road. As there was over whelming support for maintaining the open space it is felt that residents of Bretforton May wish to attend the meeting at the Fleece (we assume the barn) on the 13th December at 6pm.A downloadable copy of the letter is available here:

Our village

Nestled in the Vale of Evesham and on the threshold of the scenic Cotswolds sits the picturesque village of Bretforton. Once part of the farmland of Evesham Abbey, Bretforton has a history of market gardening and is still today the largest farming village around Evesham.

​The village prides itself on being home to the Bretforton Silver Band, the only village band left in Worcestershire, tracing its roots back to 1895; and to the award-winning Fleece Inn, owned by the National Trust, and host to the renowned annual asparagus auctions.​​Bretforton is sprinkled with a range of pretty, historical buildings including a Jacobean Manor House, a Gothic Hall, a grange, timbered pubs (only one now still in use), a church dating from the 13th century, and a number of dovecotes.

The Village is also home to not one but two Morris sides. The Pebworth Morris men and the brilliant ladies of the Belle D'Vain Morris both based at The Fleece

bretforton says goodbye to one of its own

There was a good turnout by residents of Bretforton to say goodbye to Reg Pincher today (Tuesday 6th November) together with his family and friends. The ceremony took place at Oakley Wood Crematorium and was a well balanced mixture to reflect Reg's Christian faith, his wicked sense of humour and his love of life. Below and to the right is a copy of the Order of Service for those that were unable to attend but would have liked to. Donations were sought for The Parkinsons Society which can be sent to Merstow Green Funeral Home, 20 Merstow Green, Evesham, Worcestershire WE11 4BD.

Lets hope they have Whiskey in Heaven!!

Hearty winter soup

Here is a really easy recipe for a spicy, warming winter soup to make for these cold Winter days.

Winter SoupIngredients:5 good sized ripe tomatoes each cut into 8 pieces1 onion chopped1 stick of celery choppedI pepper (any colour) roughly choppedI teaspoon of Italian seasoning½ teaspoon Lean and Perrins sauceSalt and pepper to taste500 ml boiling chicken stockMethodPut the onion, peppers and tomatoes onto a baking tray, spray with fry light or lightly coat with oil. Sprinkle the Italian herbs over and season well.Place the tray in the oven and cook at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes.Place the entire contents of the tray into a saucepan and add the chicken stock. Add the Lea and Perrins and celery. Bring the pan to the boil then simmer gently for 25 minutes.Finally using a blender whiz the entire contents until smooth, season to taste and you are ready to serve. As an alternative add a tin of mixed beans, Cannelli beans or similar to the soup after it’s been blended and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Work taking place on station road site

Heras fencing has been erected around the site at the junction of Station Road and Honeybourne Road this morning. In addition there are diggers on site and work being carried out.

We are advised that this is an archaeological survey being carried out by Worcester County Council and that this is a pre-condition to a planning application being made.

We have written to the developers agents and Worcester Council for futher comment.

Chattertons support bretforton.net

Chattertons, Bretforton's local estate agents, have agreed to start using the www.bretforton.net website on their marketing material and website as they see it as a great tool for extolling the benefits in life in the Village. The website is designed to show all aspects of Village life.

When people are looking to buy locally they want to know that there is plenty going on and Bretforton.net shows that you shouldn't ever be bored living here!

Joe Chatterton is a great supporter of all aspects of Village life and sponsoring such events as the Bretforton Show and we are therefore happy to be associated with him as his firm.

REG PINCHER

Reg Pincher 1934 – 2018

It is with huge sadness we have to report the death of Reg Pincher. Reg was a stalwart of Bretforton Village and a great champion of improving the facilities for this community. He was one of the main driving forces behind the establishment of the Community Shop and Chris Buckham said that without his enthusiasm and dogged determination there probably wouldn’t be one today. He was also very keen to see established a full and comprehensive community centre for all to use in the Village. Something sadly he was unable to complete due to ill health.Reg was a long-time member of Bretforton Social club, he enjoyed a beer and a good malt whiskey with friends and colleagues who he would sit up for long hours discussing how we could get things done.Reg was a strong willed and engaging gentleman who despite his long term illness managed to put a smile on the faces of everyone he met and never let it stand in the way of him enjoying life.Reg you will be sorely missed!

Residents celebrate harvest at the manor

About 60 residents of the Village attended a celebratory Harvest Supper at the Mano organised by Angela Gray and Kim Carter and hosted by Lucy and Robert Anstey. The event took place in the Ballroom of the Manor with food served from the Cider Barn.

A superb spread was laid on with each attendee bringing either a main meal or a sweet with the tables and chairs being kindly lent by Nigel Smith at The Fleece. The Rev'd Philip Morton led the service with a reading by Lucy Anstey.The whole evening was made particularly special by the singing from Bretforton Choir at the start of the evening led by Elizabeth Kyberd with Robert Anstey playing the piano and a finale of wonderful arrangements at the end played by the Bretforton Silver Band led by John Wood.

A few last words were given followed by a final thank you by Robert Anstey and everyone went home feeling both uplifted and in good spirits.

The widow of a Sheringham man who had previously had his life saved, and extended by a decade, through the use of a defibrillator, set out to raise enough money to buy one for her home town. The amount raised by the friends from Bretforton should add enough to her funds to make her ambition possible.

Ross Grant said before they left, "It's a lot of cycling but it's an experience I'm looking forward to and I'd really like to use it as a way of helping Jo reach her target for the defibrillator."